Fastest way to get to Sapparo or Furano

Hi there,

Probably the best way is to look for the Hikari to Tokyo, and then take the Hayabusa shinkansen up to Shin-Aomori and onwards in to Hokkaido. Here's sample itinerary. As Furano is another 2.5hrs from Sapporo (itinerary), so you'l probably want to stay in Sapporo overnight unless you have a very strong constitution.

Regarding reserved seats, if you miss a tran you have a reservation on there is no penalty charge.

Hope this helps!

Thanks Mari for your response. Nozomi is the only train that is not cover under JR Rail, is Hayabusa cover by JR Rail? Also, is there a way to find out what time the night train leaves? Can you help me to look for an overnight train going from Nagoya to Sapporo?

If I do the train schedule to be

Nagoya to Tokyo, then from Tokyo to Sapporo via overnight train, that's ok?

Depart Nagoya at 6pm
Pick up the overnight train in Tokyo around 9:30pm, arriving in Sapporo around 11am.

Hi Jon - yes, the Hayabusa is covered by the JR Pass - great!

You can also search for sleeper trains on Hyperdia. Here's a sample search with the right options to find the trains you want. Please note that the JR Pass is not valid on all sleepers - we have another forum post on the different sleeper options to Hokkaido for JR Pass holders.

Hope this helps!